Latest news with #Terrorgram
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Australia lists online extremist network as terror organisation
Canberra: The Australian government on Friday listed Terrorgram - an online nationalist extremist network - as a terrorist organisation, emphasising that the listing is aligned with similar actions already undertaken by the United Kingdom and the United States against the same platform. "This group fosters and promotes an ideology that would seek to make some Australians feel unwelcome in their home, it is this extremist hatred which is not welcome and has no place in Australia," said Australia's Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security, Tony Burke. "This listing will give Australian police and security and intelligence agencies significantly more power to keep Australians safe and restrict the operation of extremists in our country. Online radicalisation is a growing threat but the government has tools at its disposal and we will use every one of them to keep Australians safe," he added. The Australian government's decision to list Terrorgram as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code Act 1995 was taken after consultation with national security and intelligence agencies. "Terrorgram is a nationalist and racist violent extremist organisation operating on decentralised and encrypted platforms, primarily Telegram. Terrorgram users create and distribute propaganda to inspire terrorist attacks on minority groups, critical infrastructure and specific individuals. Terrorgram advocates for and provides instructions on how to conduct a terrorist attack, and has successfully inspired terrorist attacks in the United States, Europe and Asia," the government detailed. The listing of Terrorgram under the Criminal Code complements the counter-terrorism financing sanctions already imposed on Terrorgram in February 2025 by the Minister for Foreign Affairs under section 15 of the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945. "By listing Terrorgram, the Australian Government is acting to keep Australians safe from terrorism and violent extremism. The Australian Government will continue to use all the tools available to prevent the rise of violent extremism, to confront racially motivated violence and to counter hate in all its forms. "Listing an organisation is an important deterrent for, and response to, terrorist activity. Under Division 102 of the Criminal Code it is an offence to be a member of, associate with members of, recruit for, train with, get funds to, from or for, or provide support to, a terrorist organisation. These offences are punishable by harsh penalties up to 25 years imprisonment," the government stated. Urging Australians to provide valuable information to assist security and law enforcement agencies identify potential threats and prevent them from developing, the Australian government said that it continues to work closely with international partners to combat terrorism and violent extremism globally.
ABC News
a day ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Terrorgram linked to alleged plot to kill Labor politician
Violent racist organisation Terrorgram, which has now been formally listed as a terror organisation, has been linked to an alleged plot to kill NSW Labor MP Tim Crakanthorp. It is the first time the terror group has been linked to a plot in Australia. Jordan Patten, 20, was charged last year with a terror offence after police arrested him in Newcastle dressed in a commando suit one block away from Mr Crakanthorp's office. Police allege he had begun plotting to kill the MP that morning and was arrested just hours later carrying a hammer and knives. According to the Home Affairs Department, the alleged attacker said Terrorgram, which operates through encrypted platforms like Telegram, had played a critical role in his radicalisation. After the attack failed, the 19-year-old allegedly uploaded a 205-page manifesto that cited the 2019 Christchurch shooter as inspiration. The department said following the failed attack, Terrorgram members also posted advice and instructions for how prospective future attackers could avoid the same failures and succeed in carrying out "lone-actor" terrorist attacks. "The users explicitly advocated for individuals to carry out more successful attacks through the provision of this advice," the department said. The group has been linked to terror activity in the United States, Europe and Asia but has not previously been officially linked to a terror plot in Australia. The federal government moved to impose financial sanctions on Terrorgram in February, making it illegal to financially support or benefit from the group. Friday's terror listing makes it an offence for anyone to be a member of Terrorgram, associate with its members, recruit for the group or train with or fund the organisation. The offences are punishable with a maximum penalty of 25 years' prison. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told ABC Radio National the listing would not be the final step, acknowledging the constant effort to stamp out terror groups online. "You never stop chasing these characters down, you never stop," he said. "This listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right white supremacist groups, there will be more."
News.com.au
a day ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Australia officially lists Terrorgram as a terrorist organisation
Australia has formally listed a network of neo-Nazi groups as a terrorist organisation months after targeting it with sweeping sanctions. Terrorgram is a collective that advocates for white supremacist violence on encrypted social media platforms, such as Telegram. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Friday likened it to a 'giant chat group dedicated to evil' and said it has 'been a direct threat to Australians'. He added that there 'has been one attack in particular that was directly part of this network that took place'. 'This is very different to a lot of the listings that people would have heard about in the past,' Mr Burke told the ABC. 'When people think about a terrorist group organising, normally you imagine people in small groups, meeting in private homes or something and gradually recruiting people to their cause before they organise something. 'This is more like a giant chat group dedicated to evil to hatred and to violence.' He said many of the 'members would not know each other, would never meet each other'. 'And the attacks when they occur are very much lone wolf attacks,' Mr Burke said. 'It's a form of far right extremism – we're talking about white supremicism, we're talking about homophobic violence, and we're talking about the sort of organisation that describes the Christchurch killer as a 'saint'. 'This is a really bad organisation and a different sort of organisation to what we've listed before.' We have officially listed Terrorgram as a terrorist organisation under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (the Criminal Code). — Tony Burke (@Tony_Burke) June 26, 2025 Anyone found guilty of being involved with Terrorgram could face up to 25 years behind bars. The move came amid a surge far right extremism, highlighted by rising antisemitism following the October 7 attacks in Israel in 2023. Australia's domestic intelligence agency last year raised the terror threat to 'probably' because of deteriorating social cohesion and a spike in radicalisation among young men. The agency's chief, Mike Burgess, warned at the time people were becoming radicalised for increasingly complicated and varied reasons and that ideologies were blending. It was the first hike in a decade.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Online hate group listed as a terrorist organisation
The online far-right extremist network Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation, with members facing decades in jail if convicted of an offence. The federal government says the group provides instructions on how to conduct terrorist attacks and has been responsible for inspiring terror events in the United States, Europe and Asia. The listing means Australians who join, recruit or fund the network will face prison terms of up to 25 years. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing was different to previous ones because of the way Terrorgram operated. "If people imagine a big chat group dedicated to hatred and violence," he told ABC Radio on Friday. "It's a situation where the members won't necessarily know each other. They won't necessarily know the people who they're recruiting." Mr Burke said the group was a direct threat to the safety of Australians and had previously made threats. The group encouraged not just the sharing of hatred but the sharing of acts of violence and how-to guides to enable people to commit acts of violence, he said. "You never stop chasing these characters down ... this listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right supremacist groups." Mr Burke said the nature of terrorist threats kept changing, particularly involving young males being radicalised online around the principle of violence. "These sorts of groups try to tell a whole lot of Australians they're not welcome here," he said. "They try to tell people they intend for them not be safe. "We're saying 'no, no, no, it's the hatred and the bigotry and the violence that isn't welcome here'." Mr Burke said the government was sending the message anyone who wanted to engage in Terrorgram faced serious criminal penalties. In February, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist group was slapped with counter-terrorism financing sanctions as part of the federal government's crackdown on anti-Semitism. Its channels share fascist content on how members can carry out racially-motivated violence against minority groups, police, public figures, political figures and journalists. Announcing the financing sanctions, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they made it a criminal offence to use or deal with the assets of, or make assets available to, Terrorgram. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. It was the first time Australia had imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on an entirely online entity, Senator Wong said. Terrorgram has operated on the Russian-founded social media site Telegram, aiming to inspire lone-wolf acts of terror. In January, the US State Department branded Terrorgram a terrorist group. The online far-right extremist network Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation, with members facing decades in jail if convicted of an offence. The federal government says the group provides instructions on how to conduct terrorist attacks and has been responsible for inspiring terror events in the United States, Europe and Asia. The listing means Australians who join, recruit or fund the network will face prison terms of up to 25 years. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing was different to previous ones because of the way Terrorgram operated. "If people imagine a big chat group dedicated to hatred and violence," he told ABC Radio on Friday. "It's a situation where the members won't necessarily know each other. They won't necessarily know the people who they're recruiting." Mr Burke said the group was a direct threat to the safety of Australians and had previously made threats. The group encouraged not just the sharing of hatred but the sharing of acts of violence and how-to guides to enable people to commit acts of violence, he said. "You never stop chasing these characters down ... this listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right supremacist groups." Mr Burke said the nature of terrorist threats kept changing, particularly involving young males being radicalised online around the principle of violence. "These sorts of groups try to tell a whole lot of Australians they're not welcome here," he said. "They try to tell people they intend for them not be safe. "We're saying 'no, no, no, it's the hatred and the bigotry and the violence that isn't welcome here'." Mr Burke said the government was sending the message anyone who wanted to engage in Terrorgram faced serious criminal penalties. In February, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist group was slapped with counter-terrorism financing sanctions as part of the federal government's crackdown on anti-Semitism. Its channels share fascist content on how members can carry out racially-motivated violence against minority groups, police, public figures, political figures and journalists. Announcing the financing sanctions, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they made it a criminal offence to use or deal with the assets of, or make assets available to, Terrorgram. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. It was the first time Australia had imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on an entirely online entity, Senator Wong said. Terrorgram has operated on the Russian-founded social media site Telegram, aiming to inspire lone-wolf acts of terror. In January, the US State Department branded Terrorgram a terrorist group. The online far-right extremist network Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation, with members facing decades in jail if convicted of an offence. The federal government says the group provides instructions on how to conduct terrorist attacks and has been responsible for inspiring terror events in the United States, Europe and Asia. The listing means Australians who join, recruit or fund the network will face prison terms of up to 25 years. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing was different to previous ones because of the way Terrorgram operated. "If people imagine a big chat group dedicated to hatred and violence," he told ABC Radio on Friday. "It's a situation where the members won't necessarily know each other. They won't necessarily know the people who they're recruiting." Mr Burke said the group was a direct threat to the safety of Australians and had previously made threats. The group encouraged not just the sharing of hatred but the sharing of acts of violence and how-to guides to enable people to commit acts of violence, he said. "You never stop chasing these characters down ... this listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right supremacist groups." Mr Burke said the nature of terrorist threats kept changing, particularly involving young males being radicalised online around the principle of violence. "These sorts of groups try to tell a whole lot of Australians they're not welcome here," he said. "They try to tell people they intend for them not be safe. "We're saying 'no, no, no, it's the hatred and the bigotry and the violence that isn't welcome here'." Mr Burke said the government was sending the message anyone who wanted to engage in Terrorgram faced serious criminal penalties. In February, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist group was slapped with counter-terrorism financing sanctions as part of the federal government's crackdown on anti-Semitism. Its channels share fascist content on how members can carry out racially-motivated violence against minority groups, police, public figures, political figures and journalists. Announcing the financing sanctions, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they made it a criminal offence to use or deal with the assets of, or make assets available to, Terrorgram. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. It was the first time Australia had imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on an entirely online entity, Senator Wong said. Terrorgram has operated on the Russian-founded social media site Telegram, aiming to inspire lone-wolf acts of terror. In January, the US State Department branded Terrorgram a terrorist group. The online far-right extremist network Terrorgram has been listed as a terrorist organisation, with members facing decades in jail if convicted of an offence. The federal government says the group provides instructions on how to conduct terrorist attacks and has been responsible for inspiring terror events in the United States, Europe and Asia. The listing means Australians who join, recruit or fund the network will face prison terms of up to 25 years. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the listing was different to previous ones because of the way Terrorgram operated. "If people imagine a big chat group dedicated to hatred and violence," he told ABC Radio on Friday. "It's a situation where the members won't necessarily know each other. They won't necessarily know the people who they're recruiting." Mr Burke said the group was a direct threat to the safety of Australians and had previously made threats. The group encouraged not just the sharing of hatred but the sharing of acts of violence and how-to guides to enable people to commit acts of violence, he said. "You never stop chasing these characters down ... this listing won't be the last thing we have to do against far-right supremacist groups." Mr Burke said the nature of terrorist threats kept changing, particularly involving young males being radicalised online around the principle of violence. "These sorts of groups try to tell a whole lot of Australians they're not welcome here," he said. "They try to tell people they intend for them not be safe. "We're saying 'no, no, no, it's the hatred and the bigotry and the violence that isn't welcome here'." Mr Burke said the government was sending the message anyone who wanted to engage in Terrorgram faced serious criminal penalties. In February, the neo-Nazi and white supremacist group was slapped with counter-terrorism financing sanctions as part of the federal government's crackdown on anti-Semitism. Its channels share fascist content on how members can carry out racially-motivated violence against minority groups, police, public figures, political figures and journalists. Announcing the financing sanctions, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they made it a criminal offence to use or deal with the assets of, or make assets available to, Terrorgram. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines. It was the first time Australia had imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on an entirely online entity, Senator Wong said. Terrorgram has operated on the Russian-founded social media site Telegram, aiming to inspire lone-wolf acts of terror. In January, the US State Department branded Terrorgram a terrorist group.
9 News
a day ago
- Politics
- 9 News
Online white supremacist network listed as terrorist organisation in Australia
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Members of an online white supremacist network, which has successfully orchestrated terror attacks across the world, are now facing up to 25 years in jail in Australia. Terrorgram is described as a "nationalist and racist violent extremist organisation" which primarily operates on Telegram, sharing material and instructions about attacks that target minority groups, critical infrastructure and certain individuals. The group has successfully inspired terrorist attacks in the US, Europe and Asia. Terrorgram members are now facing up to 25 years in jail in Australia. (Getty) Today, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced Terrorgram has been officially listed as a terrorist organisation under the law following consultations with national security and intelligence agencies. "This listing will give Australian police and security and intelligence agencies significantly more power to keep Australians safe and restrict the operation of extremists in our country," he said in a statement. "This group fosters and promotes an ideology that would seek to make some Australians feel unwelcome in their home, it is this extremist hatred which is not welcome and has no place in Australia." Terrorgram members, their associates, and anyone who recruits, trains, helps move funds or provides support to the group now face up to 25 years imprisonment. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. (Nine) The listing follows financing sanctions imposed by Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong in February, which made it punishable by up to 10 years in prison to use or deal with assets, or make assets available to Terrorgram. The UK and the US have taken similar domestic measures against Terrorgram. Burke said online radicalisation has become a "growing threat", but the government is working to keep the country safe. Australia is working closely with international partners to fight terrorism and violent extremism around the world. terrorism national Australia government law crime courts Politics World CONTACT US
